How often to bathe?

[LILBIT1]

Waffles get bathed once a week. Infact today is bath day! I blow dry her. And she only drinks gerber pure baby water flouride free. Stops drippy eyes.

[gracielove]

I bathe Gracie weekly with an all natural sulfate free shampoo. I use an all natural conditioner as well. I also have a spray shampoo that works good for her feet when we come in from outside and she has gotten dirty. It works really well and smells nice. You could use something like that for the face between baths. Just spray it on a cloth or paper towel and then rub it into the fur around the nose.

Bathing frequently is really important when they are young because it gets them used to being handled and the routine of bathing. You will find they come to accept it much better when it is a regular practice.

[MochaBoyMom]

Originally Posted by Magnus

From what you're saying about the stinky face, I'm guessing it's same/similar to Zoey's tearing. She'd get eye buggies all the time and I'd comb/wipe her face at least twice a day. But her face was still stinky. I recommend nursery water! Another member suggested it and it works so well! At least Zoey it does.

I use a small cotton ball to soak the nursery water and wipe her eyes/face with it. The eye buggies have reduced and the stinkiness of her face is almost all gone. I gave some to my niece who has a mix (also all white fur) and the tear stains have reduced dramatically on her too.

I bathe Magnus/Zoey about once a month, but I wipe them down with the baby wipes twice a day (morning/night), every day. It's what my vet recommended with the logic of drying out their skin with too much washing (takes away natural body oil). But some members wash weekly b/c it doesn't dry out their skin. You should determine what's best for your pup.

For problems with eye buggies, you should get to the root of the problem. When Mocha had that problem, my vet told me the food I gave him contains too much junk, to switch him to a premium brand that does not add anything unnatural. Since he eats so little, that's not much at all. Hope this helps.

[theporkieyorkie]

I usually blow dry both of my boys. My 10 year old weighs twice as much as my 2 year old, and he's a little pudgy so he seems to tolerate the cold and his baths a lot better than my skinny little guy. My little one is always shivering when he comes out of his bath...even in the summer, so I have to dry him.

On top of that, if I don't dry them, they rub around on furniture to try and dry themselves. I don't mind my older dog doing this, but if I let my younger dog do that, he'd be a bigger tangled mess than he already is.

[WannaBe]

Thanks all. I was looking up cleaning cloths for face, feet and butts. I think some baby wipes will work? Or just baby wash cloths with a bit of soap and water? Our water is osmosis so I think it is about as pure as the stuff at the store? Isn't dog shampoo sulfate free?! Goodness, gotta worry about sulfates and the dog now too.

[Magnus]

Originally Posted by WannaBe

Thanks all. I was looking up cleaning cloths for face, feet and butts. I think some baby wipes will work? Or just baby wash cloths with a bit of soap and water? Our water is osmosis so I think it is about as pure as the stuff at the store? Isn't dog shampoo sulfate free?! Goodness, gotta worry about sulfates and the dog now too.

Don't have osmosis so I don't know but won't hurt to try and see! I recently switched to baby wipes (sensitive) from doggie wipes and works great if not better from my opinion. If you search for shampoo, there's probably few posts on suggestions. I also spritz my two with Kalaya emu oil spray...

[buffy512]

I've heard great things about Chris Christensen systems back to white I think its called. Specifically to help brighten whites. Its good product with great reviews. Not harsh at all to where your able to use often. I also wonder if baby powder would help. It absorbs stinky and moisture. For around the face. Can anyone chime in on that.?

[buffy512]

Sorry not sure if it posted.

Try Chris Christensen System. They have one called back to white ( I believe ) specifically for brightening coat. Also not harsh so your able to use it multiple times a week if needed.

I wonder if you could use baby power for smelly amd moisture around face. Anyone else know.?

Tip: while Boomer is dozing off. Rub him and slightly tug hair and paws to get him used to grooming and nail trimming. It helps!

[gontygirl]

I bet I'll be a minority here when I say that I don't bathe my boy as often as I should. He was last bathed a month and a bit ago. He's knotty and in need of a wash and I have all the best of intentions in doing it...then I get busy with something else. He's not complaining... I'll get around to it. Thing is, we all do what is best for our own, and since my boy is perfectly safe, happy and healthy...it'll keep till we get to it. Other times I get to it as often as once or twice a week. This is all dependent upon my life and how busy I am. Do what's good for you...you're baby won't expire lol.

[gracielove]

Yes, an all natural brand of baby wipe will work for a quick cleaning of the face or feet or whatever needs a quick going over. They make baby wipes that are free of harmful chemicals and that would be best especially if you are using them around the face.

Be careful about allowing tearing to remain on the face. The constant wetness causes a thing called red yeast to start growing there and that also causes the unpleasant odor you smell on the face. If your dog has constant tearing you may notice how it stains the area a reddish color. It may look black on the surface but when you try to remove it you find the red underneath.

If the food you are feeding is full of fillers and/or made with low quality ingredients this can help promote the problem. Changing to better quality food will help but you must also eliminate any external irritants as well.

[WannaBe]

Originally Posted by gracielove

Yes, an all natural brand of baby wipe will work for a quick cleaning of the face or feet or whatever needs a quick going over. They make baby wipes that are free of harmful chemicals and that would be best especially if you are using them around the face.

Be careful about allowing tearing to remain on the face. The constant wetness causes a thing called red yeast to start growing there and that also causes the unpleasant odor you smell on the face. If your dog has constant tearing you may notice how it stains the area a reddish color. It may look black on the surface but when you try to remove it you find the red underneath.

If the food you are feeding is full of fillers and/or made with low quality ingredients this can help promote the problem. Changing to better quality food will help but you must also eliminate any external irritants as well.

The breeder gave me Royal Canin for babies, but he doesn't like it much. I'm trying to switch him to raw, he likes some of that. He has wonderful poop, so I'm not going to worry about that right now. I wipe his face often, comb the buggers out at least twice a day. I must say, he is a great guy when it comes to grooming. He will let me comb him all over if he is on the counter, but will NOT let me if he is on my lap. I wish I could get him to let me put a clip in his top-knot, we are working on that now. I also taught him to sit, down and roll over. So he is really a brilliant little dog!

[gracielove]

Originally Posted by WannaBe

The breeder gave me Royal Canin for babies, but he doesn't like it much. I'm trying to switch him to raw, he likes some of that. He has wonderful poop, so I'm not going to worry about that right now. I wipe his face often, comb the buggers out at least twice a day. I must say, he is a great guy when it comes to grooming. He will let me comb him all over if he is on the counter, but will NOT let me if he is on my lap. I wish I could get him to let me put a clip in his top-knot, we are working on that now. I also taught him to sit, down and roll over. So he is really a brilliant little dog!

We started out with just tiny latex free bands on Gracie's topknot. If you put them in quickly they hardly notice it is there.
Amazon.com: Latex Free Dog Grooming Bands by... It helps to distract him with a treat and some play after putting the topknot in. After he gets used to the band you can add a clip on bow or whatever kind you like over the area where the band is.
If you go to the bowbiz website they have some good instructions on placing bands and bows, etc.
Gracie refused to eat kibble as a pup. I had to cook for her for a while and then we found a good commercial raw to get her on. She loves it and has done very well on it.

[MauiGirl]

Originally Posted by WannaBe

The breeder gave me Royal Canin for babies, but he doesn't like it much. I'm trying to switch him to raw, he likes some of that. He has wonderful poop, so I'm not going to worry about that right now. I wipe his face often, comb the buggers out at least twice a day. I must say, he is a great guy when it comes to grooming. He will let me comb him all over if he is on the counter, but will NOT let me if he is on my lap. I wish I could get him to let me put a clip in his top-knot, we are working on that now. I also taught him to sit, down and roll over. So he is really a brilliant little dog!

You might be best to stick with a high quality PUPPY food for the first 8-12 months to make sure he gets the nutrients he needs for growth and development. If he doesn't like it much, do a few things to enhance it a little to make it more interesting. You can sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on it, or add a little finely diced chicken over the top, or moisten the kibble with chicken broth.

As far as baths, I do mine once a week, cause they sleep with me and I like them smelling nice. Of course it varies for others, especially depending on how much time they are outside, etc.

[valeriejsmyth]

I usually bathe weekly in the kitchen sink. I use a spray bottle with a little conditioner in it to freshen him up if needed during the week. After I apply the revolution on him (monthly) I try and go ten days by using spritz conditioner and brushing out. I use a cat flea comb (smallest) to clean around the eyes and get the guggers. If I get him real wet I will use blow dryer on cool to dry coat. If they get diarreahea I usually give them a butt wash with shampoo and blow it dry. )